Herbert Kefer (b.
1960)www.artis-quartett.at/d/herbert.html
was born in Eisenerz, Austria and received his first musical education on the
violin. He went on to study with Prof.Karl Frischenschlager in Leoben and with
Prof.Karl Stierhof at the University of Music in Vienna.

In 1980, together with 3 colleagues, he founded the
Artis-Quartet, spending a year in Cincinnati, Ohio with the LaSalle-Quartet.
There followed an international career including concerts at all well-known
festivals such as the Salzburger
Festspiele, the Schubertiade Feldkirch, the Wiener Festwochen and the Casals Festival.
With the Artis-Quartet he made around 30 CDs some of which received the Grand
Prix du Disque or the Diapason d´Or. In 1991 Herbert Kefer was appointed to the
Viola class at the University of Music in Graz/Institution Oberschuetzen. He is
in demand as a soloist as well as a sought after partner for chamber music
performances. From 2005-2010 he was director of the Weinklang-Festival.

Symphonieorchester Vorarlberg bring a nicely laid out
opening to the Largo of Georg Philipp Telemann’s (1681-1767) Concerto
in G minor for viola and string orchestra with the harpsichord continuo gently
sounding through. When he joins, Herbert Kefer brings a quite beautiful tone with
the orchestra and soloist dovetailing beautifully in the little rising motif,
very finely shaped. They provide a lively, buoyant Allegro with some crisply phrased playing, Kefer handling all the
twists and turns wonderfully, retaining a lovely rich tone before a beautifully
turned Andante where soloist and
orchestra demonstrate a great rapport, the soloist adding subtle expression. In
the Presto Kefer brings viola playing
of the highest order with both soloist and orchestra providing a terrific
rhythmic lift. This fine violist negotiates the fast phrases with a terrific
panache and still with that lovely tone.

A performance to lift the spirits.

Kefer’s fine tone is to the fore in the beautifully shaped Andante of Carl Maria von Weber’s (1786-1826) Andante and Rondo Ungarese, Op.35
for viola and orchestra, the soloist adding lovely little rhythmic
pointing, weaving some lovely passages with the orchestra. Here the viola
really sings. The Rondo Ungarese is rhythmically
sprung, full of good humour and Hungarian flavour. The soloist brings a playfulness
to so many moments, finding some lovely timbres and maintaining a fine tone across
the viola’s range.

Andreas Baksa (1950-2016)
was born in Romania and studied with Bartok before later moving to the West.
His Viola Pannonica for viola and string
orchestra is a late work, commissioned by and premiered at the Weinklang
Festival in May 2010.

The Allegro moderato
opens earnestly in the orchestra, with a very Hungarian flavour to which the
soloist soon adds some particularly fine textures before the music falls back
to become quieter and slower. The music leaps up again with Kefer and the
orchestra weaving some terrific ideas, string orchestra and soloist blending
and weaving the music brilliantly with a lovely forward rhythmic drive. Later a
broader, more flowing melody arrives, quite beautiful, to which the viola adds
some lovely decorations. There are some wonderfully rich, mahogany phrases from
the viola before picking up slowly to find the earlier rhythmic drive.

The music quietens to lead into the Andante where soloist and orchestra bring a quite affecting melody.
There are some lovely textures and harmonies between soloist and orchestra and some
fine rich timbres from the soloist before a brief solo passage for viola. Soon
the viola and orchestra move gently forward, interrupted by occasional
orchestral outbursts, with the soloist finding a momentary faster flow. There
are moments of increased passion, beautifully done by this soloist before a
sudden waltz is announced by the orchestra to which the viola joins, both providing
a rhythmically buoyant lift. There is a brief fast and furious section before
calm returns with lovely harmonies from the viola over shimmering strings in a
particularly lovely moment. The music moves through some gypsy style Hungarian
flourishes where Kefer delivers some quite wonderful playing before strange
harmonies appear leading to an exquisite coda.

We are taken into a fast moving Allegro vivace, full of tremendous harmonies and textures, darting
through a variety of ideas, full of Hungarian rhythms. This soloist often
brings terrific, free and spontaneous touches, dancing through some tremendous passages
with both soloist and orchestra providing brilliant playing with razor sharp
phrasing. There are moments of gentler
repose as well as varying rhythmic ideas before a brief solo passage. The music
soon takes off, quickly heading to a
terrific buoyant coda.

This is a sprawling yet highly attractive work. Whilst there
are times, especially in the Allegro moderato, where Bartok is an obvious
influence, this is a wholly engaging work, full of invention and colour.

Max Bruch’s
(1838-1920) Romanze in F major, Op.85 for viola and orchestra makes a
lovely conclusion to this disc with both orchestra and soloist bringing much
beauty. Kefer provides an exquisite tone that adds so much to this finely paced
performance that allow Bruch’s distinctive themes and harmonies to breathe. The
music rises through some very fine passages where, as in all the works on this
disc, Kefer lifts them and brings them alive. A real joy.

The recording is excellent with a real presence and there
are useful booklet notes, mainly concerning Andreas Baksa, from the soloist.

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About The Classical Reviewer

The Classical Reviewer has been involved in music for many years, as a classical record distributor, as a newspaper concert reviewer and writer of articles relating to music as well as reviewing for Harpsichord and Fortepiano magazine.

He assisted in the cataloguing of the scores of the late British composer George Lloyd and has co-authored a memoir of his friendship with the composer.

Having a particular interest in British music, he regularly undertakes talks on Elgar.

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